Platanal

Myrna Báez, Platanal, 1974, acrylic on canvas, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Jaime Fonalledas, 2013.21
Copied Myrna Báez, Platanal, 1974, acrylic on canvas, 45 x 35 in. (114.3 x 88.9 cm), Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Jaime Fonalledas, 2013.21

Artwork Details

Title
Platanal
Artist
Date
1974
Location
Not on view
Dimensions
45 x 35 in. (114.3 x 88.9 cm)
Credit Line
Gift of Jaime Fonalledas
Mediums Description
acrylic on canvas
Classifications
Highlights
Object Number
2013.21
Linked Open Data
https://edan.si.edu/saam/id/object/2013.21

Artwork Description

Báez focused her gaze on a lush field of plantain trees, a crop long wedded to concepts of Puerto Rican identity and sovereignty. She depicted the crop’s large leaves as they reflect the tropical sun and delighted in her manipulation of paint on unprimed canvas. Báez’s belief in Puerto Rican independence manifests in her impulse to look, depict, and therefore possess the island’s landscape on her own terms.

Our America: The Latino Presence in American Art, 2013
Description in Spanish

Báez enfocó su mirada hacia un exuberante platanal, un cultivo largamente vinculado a los conceptos de identidad y soberanía de Puerto Rico. Representó las grandes hojas del plátano reflejando el sol del trópico y se deleitó manipulando la pintura sobre el lienzo crudo. La fe de Báez en la independencia de Puerto Rico, se manifiesta en su impulso para observar, describir y, a su manera, tomar posesión del paisaje de la isla.

Nuestra América: la presencia latina en el arte estadounidense, 2013

Related Books

OurAmerica_500.jpg
Our America: The Latino Presence in American Art
Our America: The Latino Presence in American Art explores how Latino artists shaped the artistic movements of their day and recalibrated key themes in American art and culture. This beautifully illustrated volume presents the rich and varied contributions of Latino artists in the United States since the mid-twentieth century, when the concept of a collective Latino identity began to emerge. Our America includes works by artists who participated in all the various artistic styles and movements, including abstract expressionism; activist, conceptual, and performance art; and classic American genres such as landscape, portraiture, and scenes of everyday life. 

Exhibitions

Media - 2011.12 - SAAM-2011.12_1 - 77591
Our America: The Latino Presence in American Art
October 25, 2013–March 2, 2014
Smithsonian American Art Museum
Our America: The Latino Presence in American Art presents the rich and varied contributions of Latino artists in the United States since the mid-twentieth century, when the concept of a collective Latino identity began to emerge.